


An Unordinary Birthday

by masi



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-25 04:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/948377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masi/pseuds/masi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru is finally turning twenty, and he would like to celebrate his birthday quietly. His parents and Rin have other plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unordinary Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club_ © Hiroko Utsumi, Masahiro Yokotani, Kyoto Animation.

Haru receives a Rolex from his parents a week before his twentieth birthday. The gift, sent through the mail, is followed up with a phone call in the evening from Kaa-chan. She invites him to dinner with her and Otou-san at Quintessence on his birthday, the upcoming Saturday. He wants to tell her not to bother, his Coming-of-Age ceremony is in half a year, but he doesn’t want to start an argument in front of his guest.

“Your old man’s pretty rich, huh,” Rin says, after Haru has hung up the phone.

“Dining at a fancy restaurant is not an indication of wealth.”

“Are you gonna go?”

Haru leans back against the wall and watches Rin continue his push-ups. Rin was on his fiftieth when the phone rang, and now Haru has lost count. After a moment, Haru closes his Hospitality Management textbook, gets up, and climbs onto Rin’s back.

Rin lands on his stomach, squealing like a pig. Haru crosses his legs. “Resume,” he says.

“Get off, you moron! You broke my arms, fucker. What the fuck! Ow, ow, ow.”

“This will improve your endurance, Leader.”

“You almost broke my back,” Rin moans, cheek pressed to the floorboards. “You’re such an asshole. Get off, fatty.”

“Sorry,” Haru says, and then bends his head, lifts Rin’s ponytail, kisses the tendons of his neck. Lifts up the straps of the black tank top, licks the sweat off of Rin’s shoulder blades. 

Rin sighs, but he forgets about his goal to do three hundred push-ups soon enough, is back up and straddling Haru’s waist, pulling his tank top up over his head.

Later that night, as he is putting his sneakers on at the door, Rin asks, “You want me to go to Tokyo with you?”

“Why would I want that?”

Rin scowls. “So that I can get you a gift from there, obviously. Not that you deserve a gift, after almost breaking my back.”

“Well, in that case.” Haru kisses the corner of Rin’s mouth. Rin smiles almost immediately. “You can come.” 

“And so that you don’t get lost.” Rin squeezes Haru’s hip. 

“That would never happen.”

“I’m not going to stay at your parents’ place, okay? I’ll get a hotel room.”

“Get one that has a pool close to the room, and I’ll stay with you.”

The back of Rin’s neck is very red as he walks out the door.

***

Haru calls his mother around 5 P.M., while he is in the indoor pool in Rin’s hotel. It is a large pool with clean, cold water glistening underneath small circles of light. Very relaxing, after a long day of being dragged around Tokyo by Rin, who wanted to buy him something meaningful and romantic probably, but ended up getting him a seafood cookbook and a bottle of Issey Miyake cologne.

“I’ll meet you at the restaurant,” Haru tells his mother, and is surprised to hear the disappointment in her “oo-kay.”

“I wanted to show you the apartment!” she says a moment later. “I suppose it’ll have to wait until after dinner. You know your way from the train station?”

“Actually, I’m staying at a hotel.” Haru slides a little deeper into the water, lifts his phone higher. “I’m already there.”

Rin walks over to his side of the pool and snaps, “Haru, you’re going to be late.”

“Who is that?” Kaa-chan asks on the other end.

“I’m staying with a friend,” Haru replies. “You know, like guys my age do. We’re going to have a night out on town, after the dinner, to celebrate my birthday.”

She sighs, “I guess it can’t be helped. My Haru-chan all grown up! We’ll talk more in a couple of hours, okay?”

Haru turns his phone off and tosses it onto a nearby pool chair. Rin says, “Why did you have to tell her you’re staying with a friend? She’s going to ask for details.”

“She’s not like that. And even if she wanted to, she won’t have time because Otou-san is going to spend the whole evening advising me about what to do with my future.”

Rin’s glare softens, and he says, “Yeah, some parents are like that. You should hear my mother when she gets started.” He rolls his pants up and sits down, dangling his legs over the edge of the pool. It is a shame that his legs are covered most of the time and that he wears legskins for swimming because his calves are a work of art, and the skin so smooth too, shaved with a degree of attention and care that he should employ on his face as well.

Haru asks, “Is she paying for the room?”

“Why does it matter who’s paying?”

He is feeling too relaxed to argue at the moment, so he swims over to Rin instead and hugs his knees. Rin raises both eyebrows. “Come into the pool,” Haru says.

This isn’t a bad way to turn twenty, Haru thinks, watching Rin unbutton his shirt. Certainly not the advent of an ordinary life, the beginning of a slow descent into peaceful mediocrity, that he has been dreaming about since his talent for swimming was discovered by others. Not in this luxurious pool in the midst of this pulsing city. Not with Matsuoka Rin, who is far from being that ordinary person Haru was hoping to find along the way. 

But there is time enough for that. Haru is going to enjoy this birthday. He is going to make the most of the time Rin is willing to spend with him before their differing dreams require them to part ways.

He pulls Rin into the water and kisses him. Rin is the perfect height for him. Haru doesn’t have to crane or bend the neck too much to reach his mouth, doesn’t have to stand on his tiptoes.

Rin glances around at the people swimming at the other end of the pool, shrugs, and then says, “When you’re late and your parents get pissed off, remember that this was your idea.”

***

After Rin has finished blow-drying and styling Haru’s hair, fumbled around with Haru’s cummerbund and tie, and then fixed the cufflinks, he insists on taking a picture. “For Gou,” he says, blushing, holding his cell phone up. “She wants to see you in your new tuxedo.” The camera flashes.

“Are you sure?” Haru blinks the spots of light out of his eyes. “I thought she liked me better without my clothes.”

“Huh? Shut up. That’s my little sister you’re talking about.”

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” Haru uncaps the bottle of cologne and spritzes it into the hollow of his neck. “Kou has a healthy appreciation for musculature, that’s all.”

“Your musculature needs some work. You’re getting all flabby.”

He tugs Rin closer, says, “Send her a picture of the two of us together.”

Rin gives him a pleased smile. He puts his arm around Haru’s shoulders, leans his head against Haru’s, positions his phone so that both their faces fit into the display, and then snaps the picture. 

As Haru is leaving the room, Rin grabs him by the arm, kisses him hard on the mouth. “Have a good dinner, yeah?” he says. He tugs on Haru’s tie. “Damn. It’s still not straight.”

“It’s fine.”

“And.” Rin pauses for a moment. His fingers dig into Haru’s arm. “Will you talk to your father about the Olympics? Tell him I’m going to be training with you, so he doesn’t have to worry. We’ll have the same trainer, and we’ll travel together. Please.”

The “please” sounded soft and sincere in Rin’s mouth, so Haru says, as gently as possible, “Rin, I don’t think tonight is ideal for such a serious conversation. I haven’t seen my father in years.” 

This is not the time to tell Rin that Otou-san, after dispensing advice in a grandiose fashion, won’t care one whit about what career Haru chooses to pursue in life, only that it doesn’t bring shame upon the family name. It will be a difficult concept for Rin, who loves his deceased father with a fierce, unwavering intensity, to understand.

“Oh. Well. Okay.” Rin withdraws his hand. “But make sure you do, sometime soon. Got it? Tomorrow is July first. I have to leave for Australia after New Year’s. You need time to get your visa and paperwork together.”

“I’ll text you after dinner is over. Come get me.”

***

As soon as Haru reaches the table, Kaa-chan stands up and says, “Oh, my, is that my Haru-chan? You look very handsome!”

She kisses his cheek, emulating the older blonde woman at the table next to them. The young blond man at that table, probably her son, kisses the woman back. They sit down and begin to speak in another language, using hushed voices that still carry over to Haru’s table.

Otou-san looks up from his cell phone, says, “Sit, Haruka. How are you, my boy?”

“Happy birthday!” Kaa-chan says. 

“Let’s see that watch.” Otou-san’s lips twitch into a thin smile.

Haru lifts his arm. The diamonds on the face of the watch sparkle. “Thanks,” he says. 

“Did you have the band shortened?” his mother asks, touching his wrist. Her nails are bright pink tonight. She is wearing a large turquoise ring on her right ring finger, which has become rather pudgy. “I told your father it might be too big for you!”

“It was okay, but a friend forced me to get it adjusted.” Rin is particular about accessories. He had been scandalized at the idea of Haru wearing a loose Rolex.

Otou-san turns his phone off and places it next to his granite serving plate. He glances at his own watch. Haru wonders how many minutes his father will allocate to the upcoming speech.

Fifteen minutes, it turns out, with two five minute pauses, one for the appetizers, and the second for the first course. Otou-san advises Haru to complete his current degree in culinary arts and then move to Tokyo, where he should get another degree in something computer-related. Software development is where one can make the big bucks. The sons of his friends are all getting into it. A traditional university degree is going to become obsolete soon. Nanase Haruka needs to stay ahead of the game. 

The food is excellent, both in preparation and in presentation. His parents chose well, though it would have been more considerate of them to have waited for Haru’s input before giving their order. Just like it would have been considerate of them to have given him a male name. They should have also delayed their move to Tokyo until Haru graduated from high school. 

At least his mother could have stayed, but she has been following her beloved Nanase-senpai around since the age of fifteen, indulging his every whim. “You’ll understand someday, my darling child,” she had said on the day of the move. “One day you’ll meet someone who takes your breath away, and you’ll realize that are you’re willing to go to the ends of the earth for her. And then you’ll understand why your poor mother had to leave you like this.”

“That’s too troublesome,” Haru had replied. “I’d rather have an ordinary marriage life, with an ordinary girl.”

Maybe it wasn’t just love that made her leave him. Haru knows that he isn’t the easiest person to live with. Too cold and moody. Can’t talk to people without being awkward or rude. Makoto is the only one who has stuck by him since childhood, through thick and thin. And Nagisa, to an extent.

Kaa-chan keeps looking at Haru and giving him tentative smiles. She probably ordered ahead because she thought Haru would see the carte blanche menu and immediately decide to have grilled mackerel. There is no reason for him to be sulky and ruin the dinner. He might not get another chance to eat at such a fine establishment, be attended to by such a hot service staff.

Haru is contemplating the pros and cons of sneaking into the kitchen to see what goes on behind the scenes when Otou-san turns his phone on again and begins making calls. 

Kaa-chan says in a stage whisper, “He has to travel to Osaka tomorrow for an important conference that starts on Monday. Don’t mind, Haru-chan. How is the food?”

Both parents decide to skip dessert. It is too fattening. They have to watch their sugar intake. Problems that come with aging, you know. 

“You don’t like sweet things, do you, Haru-chan?” Kaa-chan asks. “You always liked grilled, salty food before. Otou-san had to buy mackerel for you everyday!”

The blond guy is licking chocolate sauce off of his spoon. Otou-san is signaling for a waiter, sliding his cell phone into his breast pocket.

“No,” Haru says, a little too loud. “I like certain sweet things. Like pineapples. And I want a macaron right now.”

His parents stare at him. Haru orders three raspberry macarons and eats all of them. After he has swallowed the last one, he is ready to retch.

“Haruka,” Otou-san says, when they are out on the sidewalk, “I need you to come to Tokyo again next week. I am putting the house in Iwatobi in your name. You have to sign a few documents.”

Haru fixes his gaze on a distant traffic light and then says, “I thought you wanted me to move here.” Good, his voice didn’t fail him. The tone was suitably indifferent.

“Yes, but you need to find a boarder there first.” Otou-san glances at his watch. “Find someone responsible and neat. When your mother and I are older, we’re going to move back there, and we don’t want to find it in a sorry state.” 

He hails a cab, Kaa-chan wishes Haru a good night, and then they are gone.

***

Rin is already standing at the curb when Haru arrives. He is wearing a thin shirt and jeans, and suddenly, Haru feels overdressed and hot under the collar. He yanks his tie off and stuffs it into his pocket. He takes his jacket off and tosses it onto Rin’s shoulder. He is reaching for his cummerbund when Rin grabs his arm. 

“What the fuck, Haru, cut that out,” Rin hisses. “Not on a street corner.”

“It’s too hot.”

“You want to go back to the hotel and change? We have a lot of time. Hey, what are you doing with your shirt?!”

Haru is only pulling the shirttails out. He is not about to strip in front of this crowd. There are too many cell phones in the vicinity, too many lascivious, hungry expressions, and the street lights are bright, allowing for gratuitous photographs that will end up online. Makoto might see them, and he will start worrying, will think that Haru is going through some kind of crisis.

Rin pulls Haru towards the street, stopping just a few inches from the line of cars zooming by. “Really, Haru,” he says, with a long-suffering sigh. “What, did you see a pool somewhere nearby? A puddle?” He releases his grip on Haru’s arm.

Haru takes Rin’s hand, and Rin glances at him, eyes wide. Haru says, “Just for tonight. Since it’s my birthday.”

“Are you alright?” Rin touches Haru’s forehead. “Do you have a fever? Are you drunk? Too much fancy wine?”

“Let’s go back to the hotel.” Haru can already feel the press of the cold blue water against his chest, the water closing over his head, the water drawing away all his worries, leaving him buoyant, free. “The hotel fee is a rip off, so we might as well make the most of it. You can make love to me in the pool.”

The pedestrian light switches to the green walk sign. Rin is frozen on the spot. After he recovers, he tugs Haru forward. “Later,” he says. “You need to clear your head first. There’s nothing like walking through a big city at night to make you forget a bad family dinner.”

Haru is irritated at himself for giving Rin a glimpse into the Nanase family dynamic, but when Rin keeps pulling him along under the dizzying symphony of neon lights, guiding him through the Tokyo crowds, his fingers exerting a steady pressure on Haru’s wrist, the jacket and cummerbund still draped over his arm, not bothering with words, Haru shelves the unpleasant feelings. The night is still young. Rin is never boring, and he can be counted on to make Haru want things that he never thought he wanted before. When Rin makes an effort, he can make people feel very happy, and that is one of the many reasons why Haru hasn’t been able to stop loving him.


End file.
